page_title: Shepherding (Australian rules football)
section_title: Techniques and Tactics
hierarchical_section_title: Shepherding (Australian rules football) / Techniques and Tactics
caption_attribution_description: English: Players from South Africa and Ireland attempt to bump each other off the ball from the 2008 Australian Football International Cup
context_page_description: Shepherding is a tactic and skill in Australian rules football, a team sport.
  Shepherding is the act of legally pushing, bumping or blocking an opposing player from gaining possession of the ball or reaching the contest.
  The term originates from the word shepherd, someone who influences the movement of sheep in a paddock. Through shepherding, Australian football players are able to influence the movement of their opponents.
  The prevalence of shepherding is distinctive in Australian rules football as it is an illegal form of play in many other codes of football where it is subject to obstruction rules. It is completely banned in soccer. In rugby, it is illegal to tackle or obstruct any player not carrying the ball. Ice hockey allows body checking only on a player in possession, as does gaelic football. The concept of shepherding, however, is very similar to blocking in American Football.
  Under the Laws of Australian Football, a player can shepherd an opposition player when the ball is within five metres, with the exception of contests where players contest the ball in the air, i.e. marking contests and ruck contests, or when the ball is not in play.
context_section_description: There are varied techniques of shepherding:
caption: Players from the Irish national team and South African national team prepare to bump each other.  Both have elbows and shoulders tucked in to execute a legal bump.  However, only the South African has "eyes for the ball".  The Irish player, caught in a less advantageous position is instead "playing the man" and is attempting to take his opponent out.
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